Paul Frank
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Comments
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On the article Highland Park Theatre Costs $90K to Reopen
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On the article Free Electronic Recycling Set Monday
Paul Frank
7:10 am on Saturday, April 21, 2012
ReplyThe City of Highland Park also provides electonics recycling, available for drop off twice each week next to our public services building on Half Day Road.
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On the Blog Post We Need More Police Officers
Paul Frank
1:44 pm on Thursday, June 9, 2011
ReplyGreat column Lane, I have been asking some of these same questions since that exact moment last December. I assure you that I will continue to examine and monitor our staffing and patrol issues closely. Thanks for a great piece on the issue! - Paul
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On the article Finally, the Yard Signs Come Down
Paul Frank
9:02 pm on Wednesday, April 6, 2011
ReplyJennifer
I didn't get them all today, but I do think all the candidates are trying to get them down as quickly as we can. To anyone who has one of mine - please leave it up until tomorrow we will finish collecting them all on Thursday. I'd like to keep them out of the landfills if possible.Thanks! And thank you to everyone who voted for me, I appreciate your trust.
Paul Frank -
On the article Now's Not the Time for $133M Renovation Plan
Paul Frank
10:56 am on Wednesday, March 9, 2011
ReplyI agree with your comment about HR Forest. We all need to be talking to each other, working together and pooling resources wherever it makes sense. As a candidate for City Council I have consistently heard from voters that they expect us to do more to work together.
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On the article Public Employee Pension Costs Hurt the Public and the Employee
Paul Frank
2:03 pm on Monday, January 24, 2011
ReplyYou're right Pat, except I'm not talking about ending pensions for Police officers & Fire men and women. Those are high-risk occupations. They have a mandatory retirement age and they put their lives on the line, unlike any other public employees. So I view them differently and believe we should maintain pensions for police and fire.
However most other government workers, such as park district executives, don't work in high-risk areas and are not forced to retire at a certain age. For most of those other "regular" employees, it no longer makes sense to maintain a pension system - regardless of who is to blame for their underfunding.
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On the article Want Financial Aid For College? Apply ASAP
Paul Frank
3:16 pm on Wednesday, January 5, 2011
ReplyGreat article and you are absolutely right, the earlier someone applies the better their chances of securing need-based grants. The Illinois MAP grants are allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis to qualifying applicants. Since 2008, the number of applicants has increased dramatically and the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) - which has an office in Deerfield BTW - has had to move the "cutoff" date earlier and earlier.
Prior to 2008, many qualifying students could apply as late as August 1st and still be awarded a MAP grant. In 2010, any student who applied after April 15 was out of luck. The state's financial crisis makes the prospects for increases in the program very unlikely.
College financial aid offices are great resources for information about other grants and aid programs, and the ISAC College Zone website is very good too:
http://www.collegezone.com/studentzone/416_891.htmThanks for covering this useful topic.
Paul Frank
VP, The Federation of Independent IL Colleges & Universities
Candidate for Highland Park City Council -
On the article Predict the Election Results and Win $30 to Starbucks
Paul Frank
2:42 pm on Wednesday, November 3, 2010
ReplyYou are of course the final judge here Jacob, but with the outstanding votes coming almost entirely from Cook County I don't see any way possible that Brady can make up for a 12,000 vote deficit (as of 2:30 p.m. Wednesday). I think Brady needs to concede already. Percentage wise, sure its close. But in reality, 12,000 votes is a huge number. He'd have to win 90% of the outstanding ballots to beat Quinn at this point.
The only race that remains too close to call, IMHO, is the 8th CD Bean vs. Walsh
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On the article Predict the Election Results and Win $30 to Starbucks
Paul Frank
9:37 am on Wednesday, November 3, 2010
ReplyCongrats to Bob who beat me by correctly predicting that Gov. Quinn would win. Even though the votes aren't all counted, it's pretty clear to me that he won.
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On the article New Highland Park Homes Could Require Fire Sprinkler Systems
Paul Frank
3:13 pm on Tuesday, November 2, 2010
ReplyI agree with your last point there Eric. I'm not sure that the city should be requiring this for single family homes. In multi-unit dwellings it definitely makes more sense to me.
Paul Frank
5:42 pm on Thursday, August 2, 2012
We are engaged in discussions about selling and redeveloping the theater with a potential buyer. Even still, that would likely take time to complete.
None of us are looking to waste money here, but it's essential that we look at all the options regarding what happens here in the short term. Before last week we didn't even know how much these fire safety repairs would cost. That's the information we were given just last week.
I do not want us in the movie business and don't think it was the best decision to purchase it, that is history. Given how long a redevelopment could take I'm also concerned about leaving this property empty and unused for so long.
Stuart - you're a smart guy and I think you might recognize that the comparison between the privately owned properties on Western Ave. and the HP theater on Central Ave. is not really an appropriate one to make. I'm very interested in the development opportunities on Western Ave., the north 41 corridor and other parts of town as well. Not everything the City Council members do is in the news.
But, if you're interested in the discussions I've had with staff regarding the Western Ave. commercial properties, feel free to email anytime. Or stop by, you know where I live.
Paul